Elaine L. Chao: Our Air Traffic System Needs a Complete Overhaul. Immediate Relief Is in Reach

When this happens, dedicated air traffic controllers take immediate action to keep travelers safe. They slow down traffic and implement delay programs to distance aircrafts in the air and on the ground. These actions are necessary for safety, but they are not a replacement for a long-term solution. In fact, they tend to exacerbate travel disruptions by forcing airport operators, ATC, and airlines to further delay, divert, or cancel flights altogether.

So what can be done? Simply put, these issues require a complete and pressing overhaul of our nation’s air traffic system. I don’t mean an upgrade—I mean a bold effort to rebuild from the ground up by updating our technology and revitalizing our air traffic control system altogether.

A critical first step is to update our technology. I am encouraged by Secretary Sean Duffy’s recent announcement of such a plan, one that will replace outdated infrastructure and technologies. Such a plan is long overdue, and I applaud this administration’s decision to take aggressive steps to address the root causes of the issues we’ve recently seen bubble up in Newark and elsewhere. In 2017, we proposed an ATC overhaul and new funding for the system, but it was unsuccessful in Congress.

Second, we must also move urgently to attract, train, and retain air traffic control talent. This includes continuing to expand our ATC training capabilities, streamline hiring, and structure working conditions and compensation to attract the best ATC professionals in the business. Air traffic controllers have immense responsibility on their shoulders and too often get burned out by long hours, overtime, and the frustration of working on systems that date back to the 1970s.

Such sweeping reforms take time and the traveling public can’t afford to wait. That’s why it’s vital that we consider the full suite of policy solutions to address this challenge, including a third step to impose stronger capacity controls at the overburdened EWR airport.

It may surprise you to learn that Newark is the only major airport in the New York City-area that operates without capacity controls—a global standard for managing air traffic demand at constrained airports. New York’s other two airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA), have such controls in place.

Taking this step to manage flight traffic will help align demand with real-world capacity, giving air traffic controllers and pilots the breathing room they need to operate efficiently, and providing passengers and crew the enjoyable, convenient travel experience they deserve. This solution cannot stand alone and must be complemented by a broader system transformation. But with Memorial Day Weekend kicking off the summer travel season, it is a small step we can take now to protect the reliability of the system and mitigate travel disruptions in the short-term.

I’ll reiterate again that EWR and U.S air travel overall remains safe despite the travel disruptions captured in the headlines. But these disruptions do come at a high price—both in terms of the economic costs incurred by passengers, employees, the airport, airlines, and local businesses, as well as the personal costs of missing a long-awaited vacation or the last flight home after days away on business.

Travelers deserve better. And the system itself—our national airspace—deserves a chance to function the way it was designed to: safely, reliably, with integrity, and with passengers top-of-mind.

 

This opinion piece comes from WWSG exclusive thought leader, The Honorable Elaine L. Chao.  She is a trailblazing public servant and distinguished leader who has twice served in the U.S. Cabinet—as Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor. The first Asian American woman in U.S. history appointed to a president’s cabinet, Secretary Chao brings decades of experience in public policy, global competitiveness, and workforce development. Her insights on leadership, geopolitics, and the future of transportation and labor offer audiences a rare perspective shaped by service at the highest levels of government. To host her for your event, contact us.